The Good in Her
by Mogo Girl
Summary: Takes place immediately after House on Fire. Can Penelope deal with her profiling experience and will a certain team member be able to help her see The Good in Her? My first fan fic. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Criminal Minds or any of these characters! What a pity :)

**Takes place immediately following the events of the season 4 episode "House on Fire"**

This is my first fan fic. I have no idea where this is going to take me but wanted to see what you thought of my first chapter and then will take it from there. I saw this episode last night and just couldn't leave it where it ended. Penelope was so great in this episode, I just knew there deserved to be more to it. I hope you enjoy. PLEASE R&R! Thanks!

Penelope stood in front of her desk staring at the 36 faces that stared out at her from her office walls. Thirty-six photos that to the unknowing eye appeared to be happy, smiling, innocent portraits of this adventure we call life. But she knew better. Penelope knew all of their dirty little secrets and the skeltons that each one of these people had hidden deep inside of their closets; things that should have never had to have been brought to the light of day for all to see but had….and all because of her. It was not something she was proud of, or something she even knew if she would be able to deal with in the long term. Sure, Penelope had only done what had been asked of her and, in the end, Hotch had praised and thanked her for her work…but was that enough? She was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted and the tears began to fall as she collapsed back onto her chair, unable to take down the pictures that stared accusingly back at her.

* * *

Paperwork finally finished, Derek Morgan ran his hands over his bald head and sighed. It had been a long couple of days for the whole team trying to track down the serial arsonist who had killed 36 people in the miniscule town of Royal, Indiana. The sight of the handprints burned into walls of the movie theatre where 31 citizens had died trying to escape would haunt him for a long time to come. BAU cases were never easy but this one seemed especially horrid.

Looking around the office, he noticed that the others were finishing up their paperwork as well. Everyone was tired but it seemed as if they were lingering, like no one wanted to be alone with time to process the experience they had just all gone through.

"Hey guys, how about we go have a drink before going home? I know I could use one", Derek asked the rest of the BAU team.

Emily was the first to respond, "Great idea Derek, I'll go round up Hotch and Rossi and see if they want to come. I think JJ already headed home to be with Henry, though."

"I'm in too", chimed in Reid.

"Great, I'll go get Penelope, from what Hotch said earlier, she probably needs a drink more than any of us." With that said, Derek headed towards Garcia's "lair". He knew that this case had been especially tough on the tech and he was especially worried about his 'baby girl'. Still, he had waited to go see her after Hotch had told him she probably needed a little time alone to de-process from the events of the past few days. So, he had held back, given her a little space but was now ready to see his favorite member of the BAU team.

*************


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2….**As usual, I don't own Criminal Minds or these characters **

As Morgan approached the door of Garcia's lair as she liked to call it, he heard something that stopped him short. What sounded like a soft sobbing was coming from behind the door. The sound of his baby girl crying tore at his heart like a knife. Garcia was the member of the team who always cheered everyone up when times were hard. No matter what, she always had a smile, a witty comment and a laugh for her colleagues…just what they needed when they needed it most. Now, here she was alone and crying, overcome with the emotions she had experienced and the fact that Derek hadn't thought to come to her sooner made him feel like such an insensitive jerk; where had he been when his "Goddess" had needed him? Some hero she would think he was now.

Realizing his feet had been planted outside Garcia's door, Derek finally came back to his senses and entered the office. Inside the room was dark, Penelope had even turned off all of her 'babies' and there she sat, with her head down on her desk, her body wracked with the sobs she could no longer hold back, her beautiful blond curls in a mess around her tear streaked face.

"Baby-girl, it's ok, I'm here" Derek said as he knelt beside her chair and pushed the tangle of curls away from her face. "Let me see that beautiful face of yours so I can talk to you." he said as he reached over to turn her desk lamp on.

"NO! Leave it off, leave them all off! I can't stand to see their faces anymore!" Penelope panicked as she pushed Derek's hand away from the light switch.

"Ok, ok…it's off, just talk to me baby girl. I can't stand to see you this way. At least come with me over to the couch…sit with me and we'll work through all of this, I promise". Derek gently guided Penelope over to the sofa in her office that she often used for cat naps when working long hours on a case. As he helped her out of her chair, he couldn't help but notice how she instantly buried her face in his chest and never allowed her self to look up as he led her to the couch. Together they sat, and Derek pulled her close and wrapped her as tightly as he could in his arms hoping, somehow, he was doing something to make her feel safe again.

After a few minutes, as her crying began to wane, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead and slowly lifted her chin with his finger so he could see her face.

"Ok gorgeous, it's time to talk to me. What is it that has you so distraught? You did an excellent job on this case, hell babygirl, you broke this case! I know Hotch told you how well you did and the rest of us know that without you, Sweetness, this psycho would have never been caught and more lives would have been lost. So what's going on in that beautiful head of yours?"

"Oh, Derek, what have I done? " Garcia's body began to tremble again as she thought of all of the bad things she had uncovered about 35, dead, innocent people. People who didn't' deserve to have their lives splayed open for the world to see, people who were no different from her or any member of the team, people who were just going about their daily lives, trying to lead good and productive lives.

"Done? You haven't done anything except help get a crazy, dangerous man off the streets, Penelope" Derek tried to explain to the clearly frightened woman next to him.

"No Derek! What I have done is taken 35 perfectly honest people's lives and torn them apart." Penelope quickly stood up and walked over to the light switch, turning it on and assaulting her office in harsh fluorescent lights. "Look at these faces, Derek. They should all be remembered for the good in their lives and instead, all of my digging and searching has done nothing but bring out all the bad! This is how they will be remembered and it's all because of me, what I found!" Suddenly, Garcia ran from the room, having to get away from the staring faces around her.

Hearing those words, Derek began to realize what had happened to his best friend that was causing her so much pain. Penelope was the one who, no matter what, who always saw the good in any situation. She was definitely the one who could always make lemonade out of the lemons life handed her. But this was different somehow…she had been asked to do something so opposite to her nature, so appalling to her, and she had done it and done it well. It was evidently scaring the hell out of her and Derek knew he had to do something to get his Princess back on track.

She needed help and the team needed back the Garcia they had come to know and love. Truth be told, Derek knew HE needed back the Garcia he LOVED and he was going to do everything in his power to make things right. He had ignored his feelings far too long and now was the time he needed to let her know and that she needed to hear them. She needed to be shown the good in life again…and know matter what, Derek was going to make sure that happened. Running out the door, he vowed to catch his beautiful baby girl and never let her go again….

* * *

TBC!

I hope you like. Please read and review, let me know what you think! I'm not sure how long this is going to be but I guess I will just write until I feel the story is done. I'm thinking a couple of more chapters, who knows?


	3. Chapter 3

**As always, I don't own them…I just like to play with them!**

Thanks to everyone for all of the great reviews and adding me to your story alerts. I'm sorry I haven't responded to you personally but you are all greatly appreciated and making the writing process that much easier!

"Hey there Garcia, where are you off to so fast and furious?" Spencer Reid jumped out of the way as he was nearly bowled over by a fleeing blur of color and blond hair. As he turned to get out of her way he could see she had been crying and she appeared to be a woman on a mission. A mission to get away as fast and as far as she could.

"I, I'm sorry Reid I can't talk to you right now, I'm sorry", Penelope stammered as she sidestepped the boy genius and quickly disappeared down the hallway towards the exit of the BAU. Within seconds, Reid saw Derek coming out of Garcia's office, heading quickly after her.

"Morgan, what's up with Garcia, she seemed upset" observed Reid.

"Yeah, you think so genius? Did you see which way she went?"

"I think she went towards the elevators. What's going on? I came back to see if you two were ready to head to get those drinks, the others are waiting."

"Uhm, Reid, didn't you see how upset she was? I don't think she's quite up for a night out on the town. Damn!" Derek turned and slapped the wall in frustration. "Why didn't I go to her sooner? I knew she was upset about this case and I just left her alone to her own devices instead of being there for her like she always is for us….for me. Damn!"

"Oh, wow, I didn't realize she was upset. I guess the profiling thing got to her, huh? Y'know, profiling is a tricky thing…that's why all of the agents are put through extensive psychological testing such as aptitude, neuropsychological, occupation…."

"Yeah, Reid, I know…I'm one of them…remember? Look, what I need now is to find her. Let the others know what's going on, I might be calling for reinforcements later."

"Yeah, sure, anything she needs Morgan, we'll be there. "

"Thanks, man" replied Derek and immediately headed off towards the elevators to find his baby girl.

Penelope looked up and realized she wasn't exactly sure where she was. All she knew was that she had needed to get out of her office and out of the BAU as quickly as possible. She just knew that she had to get as far away from all of those accusing eyes staring back at her from her office walls. Even Derek's strong arms hadn't been enough to make her feel safe and happy.

As she stopped and got her bearings, she realized that she had ended up in the park across the street from the FBI building. The night was cold but the crisp air felt good on her skin and she took a couple of deep breaths to gather herself.

Her thoughts immediately went back to the residents of Royal, Indiana. "I'm so sorry for what I have done, I hope in time you will forgive me" she prayed to the souls of the deceased as she looked up towards the stars in the black night sky. As she counted the stars, she assigned each one a name of one of the residents and vowed to honor their memories.

"Where are you my baby girl?" Derek worriedly thought to himself as he looked around the lobby of the FBI building for any signs of Penelope. He had searched everywhere in the building he had thought she might be and had been unable to locate any sign of her. He knew she hadn't driven away because Esther, her distinctive Cadillac, was still in the FBI parking garage. She had to be within walking distance.

Heading out the building, he remembered the park across the street. Penelope often liked to go there during her lunch hour. She loved to watch the kids on the swings and to feed the crusts from her sandwiches to the birds and squirrels as she ate. She always said it reminded her of the innocence in life, something she often lost sight of as she was combing through crime scene photos and videos while working.

Sure enough, as he crossed into the park, he could just make out a lone figure sitting at one of the picnic tables. He would know that silhouette anywhere, it was Penelope. The image of her from behind, her blond curls cascading over her shoulders as she stared longingly into the night, made him stop and catch his breath. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever known, inside and out, and the sight of her never failed to make his heart skip a beat.

"Princess?, It's me baby girl. Are you all right?" Derek announced himself as he approached the table. Taking off his leather jacket he placed it over her shoulders as he walked up behind her. "It's cold out here Pen, let's go back inside where it's warm and we can talk."

Penelope turned and looked up at the man she called her Chocolate Adonis. He had been her best friend since practically the first moment the two had met but right now, she wasn't sure that even he could help her, or if he would want to. Since the end of this case, Penelope had changed. She knew that she was no longer the happy-go-lucky person she once was and the fact that she had willingly and almost eagerly dug through those victims' lives, she doubted that she was the good person she had always strived to be. Derek would soon see that and wouldn't want that as a best friend anymore. She knew he needed the lightness and cheerfulness she had been able to provide. It saddened her more to think that this man whom she had loved, or to be honest, had been in love with, for so long would now see her true nature and what she was capable of.

"Derek, you didn't have to come and find me. Go out with the others, I'll be fine. I just needed some time to think, that's all."

"Whoa baby girl, you're not getting rid of me that easy! You need me, and I'm here for you, just like you would be for me. Now get your butt up off that bench and come with me" Derek insisted.

"Awww, thanks Sweet Thing but I'm fine really, you don't have to…" Garcia began to resist but before she could get another word out, Derek grabbed her by the shoulders, lifting her from the bench and quickly turned her face towards his. Before she knew what was happening, Derek's lips landed on hers and she could feel his tongue searching for entry. Without thinking, Penelope began to return his kiss and, damn!, that felt good. With his arms securely around her and his kiss becoming deeper, she allowed herself to become lost in the moment.

TBC!!!!

I hope you enjoyed. This was a very difficult chapter for me to write and I'm not sure I'm happy with how it turned out so please let me know what you think. I promise to update soon!


	4. Chapter 4

_Here we go with another chapter. Thanks again for all the words of encouragement…it's what keeps me and this story going_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of them, just borrow them. I promise to bring them all back in one piece!**

Suddenly realizing what was happening and who it was happening with, Garcia placed her hands on Derek's chest and pushed herself out of the kiss that had taken her over mind and soul. "Derek, stop, what's going on here?" she panted as she attempted to get her breath back.

"Mmmmm, why stop baby girl? I was quite enjoying it" Derek responded as he tried to lean back in to restart the kiss that had set his whole body on fire. Her lips had been more soft and luscious than he had even imagined…and he had imagined them many times over the years. Why was he just now taking the opportunity to treat this beautiful creature as the woman he had always thought of her as? But as he looked into her eyes again, he saw not a reflection of love, but fear and confusion.

"Penelope? What is it? Talk to me Sweetness, have I done something wrong? Is this not what you wanted, too?"

"No, Derek, being one of your conquests is never what I wanted. I mean I understand you wanting to be here for me as a friend but why would you kiss me like that Derek? Treating me like just another one night stand is not going to make me feel any better, I would have thought you would have known that about me." Penelope explained as she turned to head back towards the FBI building across the street.

As she started to walk away from him, he gently grabbed hold of her arm, turning her around so she would have to come face to face with him, "Stop right there, Gorgeous! You're not walking away from me until you hear what I have to say."

Penelope tried to turn her head away, but he cupped her chin in his hand and forced her to look him in those amazing deep chocolate eyes of his. How could she resist those eyes, that mouth, that body? But yet she knew she must. While his intentions were good, his actions had just been misguided and she knew he could never return the love she held for him deep in her heart. She couldn't allow him to get that close again, not if there was any chance of them staying friends. As all of these thoughts swirled around in her head, a single tear began to fall down her cheek.

"Hey baby girl, no more crying" Derek said as he wiped away the tear from her face with his thumb. "It just rips my heart apart to see you so sad."

"But Derek…."

"No, Penelope, I meant what I said, for once I'm going to talk and you're going to listen. I've got some things to say to you that should have been said a long time ago but I was either too stupid or too scared to say them but you need to hear them now and damn it, I'm not going to lose this chance again." Derek's eyes flashed in the moonlight as he spoke with a determination Penelope had never seen in him before.

"Penelope Garcia, I don't know where you ever got this notion in that beautiful head of yours that I would ever use you or hurt you in any way but it has to stop now. You are the most important thing in my life. You're the first thought in my head in the morning and the last thing I think of at night. When the team in away on a case, I long to hear your voice and cherish every moment I get to spend talking and flirting with you on the phone. If the case is an especially hard one I know that, no matter what, as soon as I hear your voice, or see that wonderful smile of yours, everything is going to be ok because you're there for me. I LOVE you baby girl….not as a friend or sibling…but as a WOMAN. I should have told you these things a long time ago, but just couldn't do it. I guess I was afraid you would reject me and, that, Goddess, would be the worst thing that could ever happen in my life." Derek stepped back and rubbed his hand over his head as he held his breath waiting to hear what she would say. Had he gone too far? Was this all too much too fast?

_Ok readers, I'm going to end this chapter here and leave you in torture. Sorry, but I have to figure out Penelope's response and I need time to think about it. Suggestions are always welcome! Please keep reviewing, I love hearing from you __ Next chapter will be soon, I promise!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own them but I wouldn't mind having Morgan show up in my stocking on Christmas morn**

_Thanks guys. Your reviews have been awesome. I'm having so much fun with this so here's the next and final chapter. _

Penelope couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was THE Derek Morgan actually telling her he loved her, that he was in love with her? These were the words she had longed to hear for so long but could it really be true? And could she honestly accept this declaration of love now after the changes she had gone through with the arsonist case? Would she still be able to be the witty, cheerful Garcia he thought she was, the woman he needed in his life?

"Derek, I don't know what to say. I'm not the same, I've changed and although I've dreamt of hearing you say these words to me for so long, I don't know if I can still be the woman you need." Penelope rushed to get the words out, feeling a need to get everything out in the open as quickly as she could. If this is where it was going to end, she had to do it now, before hurting him any more. Hurting one more person, especially this man who had been her best friend and confidant for so long, was something her heart just couldn't bear right now.

"Please let me go, Derek. I can't be what you want, I know that." Penelope pleaded. "I'm not who you think I am, hell, I'm not who I thought I was anymore. I love you but I'm not strong enough to do this. I'm sorry Gorgeous, but please let's stop this before either of us get hurt anymore." Penelope sank back down onto the bench, knowing she had probably just ruined the best thing that had happened to her in her whole life but she knew it was for the best, for both of them. She would have to be content with knowing she had done the best thing for Derek.

Kneeling down in front of Penelope, Derek took a hold of her hands in his and looked his Princess straight in the eye, "Baby Girl, listen to me. You are everything I could ever want and more than I certainly deserve. Nothing you have done, or could ever do would stop me from loving you. You are not a bad person, you did what was asked of you and in the process you saved countless lives. The fact that this has all upset you so much is proof of the good in you. It's exactly those emotions and empathy that is such a large part of what I love about you. Please give me a chance to prove my feelings for you, Sweetness."

"But Derek…"

"I'm not taking no for an answer Garcia!" Derek exclaimed. "I'm already on my knees, you're not going to make me beg are you?" he added with a sly smile. "Because I will if I have to you know."

With that, a small smile forced its way to Penelope's lips. "Derek, are you sure?"

"Damn it woman…YES!!!" Pulling her close Derek swiftly brought his lips to her, kissing her with a passion she had never felt before. "Does that convince you Silly Girl? If not I have a lot more where that came from, you know, whatever it takes I'm willing to do it, no matter how many times I have to kiss you!" Before she could respond, Derek kissed her again.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two lovers broke apart, both panting from the breathlessness of the kisses. "My Chocolate Adonis, I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into…"

"Does that mean what I think it means, Baby Girl"

"You know I could never resist you Derek, I love you my Statuesque profiler."

"And I love you, my Oracle of All Things Beautiful" Derek proclaimed as he swept her back onto her feet and headed back towards the parking garage of the FBI. "C'mon Beautiful, let's go home where we can start this adventure right" he said as he winked at her and led her towards the rest of their lives together.

The End

_I hope you liked it. I figured enuf angst was enuf and it was time to end it __ I'll be looking forward to your reviews….who knows, maybe they will inspire me to write another one. Thanks for everyone's support!_


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